


Heritage

by Lyledebeast



Series: Poe and Hux Have a Baby [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Crying, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Gender Reveal, Introspection, M/M, Mpreg, Past Abuse, Past Miscarriage, and for beating up her son's baby birth-dad, because she'd kick his ass for making her son cry, shara and brendol don't appear, which is a shame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 19:55:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14921840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyledebeast/pseuds/Lyledebeast
Summary: Hux and Poe talk about their parents.  Hux is self-conscious.  Poe is shaken.





	Heritage

**Author's Note:**

> Partly inspired by this line from Vi Morandi in Delilah Dawson's Phasma: "The greasy ginger weasel birthed a greasy ginger weasel, who knew?" It's your fault, Delilah!
> 
> Sorry to follow the sweet, fluffy first fic in this series with something so dark, but once Brendol Hux got involved, it couldn't be otherwise.
> 
> I started thinking about much Poe and Hux are influenced, almost determined in many ways, by a famous/notorious parent. I think it makes this ship both more far-fetched and more perfect at the same time!

“Poe? What was Shara Bey like?”

Poe blinked, awakened from his lull by the surprising question.  They were sitting on the sofa, Hux leaning against him with his head on his chest.  His widening middle made his usual sleeping position impossible, and nights in their bed had become difficult for both of them. Hux usually slept on the sofa now, but he still wanted Poe near him, and Poe was only too happy to oblige.  Except for the nights when he fell asleep also and woke up trapped underneath Hux, afraid to move lest he wake him up. This had been setting up to be one of those nights.

“What?” Poe asked, shaking his head to wake himself up.

“Shara Bey.  I asked you what she was like.”

Poe reached up to comb a hand through his hair. “Um, well.  I’m not sure what it is that you want to know.” Her appearance? Medical history? Her number of kills? Knowing Hux’s fascination with minutiae, it could be anything.  “I mean . . . she was my mother.  I’m probably going to be biased!”

Hux scoffed.  “I know that.  That’s what I’m asking you! What kind of mother was she?”

“Oh,” Poe replied, wondering silently why Hux hadn’t just said that from the beginning.  “She died when I was eight, so my memories are a little faded. But . . . she was good mom.  I mean, I remember her teaching me how to fly an X-wing when I was six.”

Hux raised his head and craned his neck to look up at him, suspicious.  “You were six?”

“Well, it’s not like she put me in the pilot’s seat by myself!” Poe clarified.  “But she showed me all the different parts and told me their names.  And then she would quiz me on them, to make sure I remembered.  I could point to all of them and give the right names by the time she . . .” He trailed off, not wanting to dwell on the tragedy of losing her.  That wasn’t what Hux had asked for.  “And I never cried or anything.  It was fun.  I always felt safe with her.” The memories brought a smile to his face.  He had always known that he wanted to be a pilot, and he was a pretty good one.  His mother would be proud of him.

“You remember all that?” Hux asked.  The skepticism in his voice was gone, but his tone was soft, uncertain.

“Mostly.  I mean, I remember what flying felt like then, when I was new to it.  I’m not sure I’d remember the quizzing part.  That wasn’t as much fun.  But my dad told that story so many times that I remember it.  He used to embarrass me by telling my instructors when they met him.”   Poe laughed.  “In fact, it won’t surprise me if he tells you when we go to Yavin 4.”

Hux made no reply to that, and he immediately regretted saying it.  Hux knew that meeting his dad was even more inevitable now.  Kes Dameron had come to dislike interplanetary travel in his old age, but Poe knew he would brave it to meet his first grandchild if he and Hux didn’t take them to Yavin 4 first.  Certainty hadn’t made Hux any less anxious about it, though.  It was something Poe had never been able to understand.

Finally, Hux broke the silence. “So, he raised you after your mother died?”

“Well, mostly.  I spent some time with my grandparents.  It was a lot for him, being a single dad.” Poe frowned thoughtfully.  He didn’t want to sell him short, and the last thing he needed was to give Hux something to hold against the man before he had even met him.  “Not that he didn’t do his best, you know.  He’s a great dad.  It was just . . .” He struggled to come up with the right words.  It wasn’t until many years later that he realized how much of a relief it must have been to his father to send him off with one set of grandparents or another, to have a moment when he didn’t have to wonder where his son was and what he was doing.  He thought about that responsibility more and more now, for obvious reasons.

“With which grandparents?” Hux asked, oblivious to his worries.

“With both, really.” Poe gave an inward sigh.  Finally, a simple question.

The simplicity was lost on Hux, who looked up at him again with raised eyebrows.

“Both? That’s . . . a lot.”

Poe grinned.  “Not really, baby.  That’s the usual number, you know.  Two grandfathers and two grandmothers: one set per parent.  That’s what everyone has.”

Hux narrowed his eyes and turned his head again.  “Not everyone,” he murmured, piqued.

Poe supposed that was true.  The galaxy had thrown a lot of people without families his way lately.  First Finn, who had been stolen from his parents.  Then Rey, who had been abandoned by hers.  And now, Hux.

“Do you remember anything about your mother?” Poe ventured, a little apprehensively.  He had only mentioned Hux’s mother the one time, and it was not a circumstance he cared to remember.  Or for Hux to remember.

Hux sighed and raised a hand to rub at the corners of his eyes.  “I . . . I don’t have a mother,” he muttered.

“Oh come on, Hugs.  Everyone had a mother at some point.”

Hux lifted his head, fixing him with an icy glare.  “Our baby won’t.  I’m not a woman, Dameron.”

“I know that, Hux,” he began, placating.  “But you . . . our intelligence shows that . . .”

Hux’s anger melted away into confusion; then he sighed again.  “Oh . . . of course.  Why wouldn’t Resistance intelligence have that on file?  It’s what most of the First Order believes.  Believed, I suppose. It was a very well-kept secret.”

He went silent, leaving Poe in suspense.  “What?” he asked, realizing how loud it came only when Hux winced in response.  He began again, gently. “What is it that we don’t know?

He waited, quiet.  Unfortunately, Hux seemed to have the same idea.  Ages seemed to go by before he spoke again.

“Your intelligence shows that she was a kitchen worker on Arkanis, right?”

Poe nodded, forgetting in his suspense that Hux couldn’t see him without looking up.  “Uh, yeah,” he replied.  “That’s what we thought.” 

“Well, she never existed.  Not outside of Brendol’s imagination, anyway.”

For a moment, Poe’s eyebrows creased with confusion.  Hux assumed he knew who that was, but the name struck him as unfamiliar until . . . “Oh,” he said aloud.

Brendol Hux.  The father of Armitage Hux.  His Hux.

Something uncomfortable twisted in Poe’s stomach. Why would he call his own father by his first name?

“Brendol gave birth to me himself.  This . . . condition I have, I got from my father’s side.”

Poe’s eyes widened.  It was too much.  “He . . . he what now?”

“Do I really need to repeat myself?” Hux snapped.

Poe felt a flash of anger rise up in him but kept silent.  It was a lot to hear, yes.  But he supposed it was a lot for Hux to have to confess, too.

“I’m sorry, baby.  I just . . . you never talk about your father, so this is all new to me.” He reached for Hux’s hand where it lay on his rounded belly, smiling with relief when he let him take it.

“I know,” he murmured, conciliatory.  “There’s good reason for that.”

Reprieved for the moment, Poe tried a new tactic.  “So, if . . . Brendol was your birth-father, that means you have another father, right? A . . . um . . .” In the months he’d had to think about it, Poe still wasn’t sure how best to describe his own role in their child’s genetics.

Hux offered no help.  “I suppose so.”

“Well?” Poe urged, anxious. “Didn’t you ever ask who he was?”

He got a dry, humorless laugh in response.  “Oh yes.  I asked.”

Poe was almost shaking in anticipation.  “And?”

“And . . . he broke my jaw.”

He felt as though he had been punched in the stomach as the breath he had been holding gushed out all at once.  Reflexively, his hand tightened around Hux’s.

“I’m . . . sorry, baby.  I’m sorry he . . . was like that.” 

Hux mentioned his father rarely enough, and Poe had assumed that meant he was unremarkable.  That he was just a typical First Order officer.  Cruelty came with the territory.  But a man who would beat his own son, that was remarkable.  In the worst way.

“Listen,” he began, stroking Hux’s knuckles with his thumb.  “I know there’s a story here.  About how you asked him, how you . . . found out about this.  I won’t ask you now, but I would like for you to tell me when you’re ready.”

To Poe’s surprise, Hux pulled his arm around him more tightly and snuggled against him. “No, I’ll tell you now.  It might help you understand.”

Understand what? Poe wanted to ask, but he held back.  Whatever Hux had to say, he would hear him out before he reacted.  He would.

Hux inhaled deeply, steadying himself.  “When I was twenty, I had an affair with a captain.  I was a sergeant at the time, and I hoped that it would improve my chances for a promotion.  But it was slow work; it went on for several months.”

In the silence that followed, Poe wondered if Hux had ever had sex for reasons other than some kind of advancement.  It wasn’t a comforting thought, nor did it seem relevant to the topic.

“So, your father found out about it?”

Hux gave a bitter chuckle.  “No one knew anything until the nausea began.  I thought it was something I had eaten, but none of the other junior officers were getting sick.  Looking back, I think that must have been how he knew.  My superior must have told him I was ill during morning drills.  I was even worse then than I am now.”

Poe felt his breath catch.  “You were pregnant?”

He got a barely perceptible nod in return.  “I went to the medbay, thinking that it was some virus.  I told the droids my symptoms, and they ran several tests.  Brendol must have asked to be notified, because he arrived while I was waiting for the results.”

“And he never,” Poe began, noting how shaky his own voice was in comparison to Hux’s.  “He never told you that you were . . . that you could . . .”

“That I could be impregnated? Oh no.  He knew that I had sex with men, so I suppose I must have been indiscreet at some point.  He was disgusted, but I thought that was just about the ‘having sex with men’ part.’”

“Hypocrite,” Poe muttered.  “And then he never even warned you.”

“Well, he did tell me to keep my legs closed.  But that didn’t really make sense until it was too late.  Besides, you know how likely I am to follow such advice.”

 He looked up at Poe with a grim smile, but he could not return it.

“Did he tell you himself, or did he leave that to the droids?”

Hux lay his head on his chest again.  “They told him, and he overrode their information.  Then he told me.”

“And you asked about your other father and he . . . hit you.” The thought still made Poe’s head reel, as though he had been struck himself.  That and his other questions.  Did Hux have another child somewhere that he hadn’t told him about? Or had his father forced him to terminate the pregnancy?”

As though he could read his mind, Hux nodded.  “Yes.  He was enraged.  He broke my jaw.  He broke three of my ribs.  I think that was when I passed out.  Who knows how long he kept beating me after that.  All I know is that when I finally woke up I couldn’t open my mouth and I was bleeding from . . . from between my legs.  I realized that I didn’t have to worry about being pregnant anymore.  It was a relief . . . Poe?”

He had gone dead silent in shock.  A soft sob broke the silence, and it look Poe a moment to realize that it had come from him.

“Poe,” Hux gasped, struggling.  “That’s a bit . . . tight.”

Poe looked down.  His other arm and joined the first around Hux’s belly and they were holding him in a firm grip.  He dropped his hands to the cushion beneath them.

“I’m sorry, baby.  I just . . . why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was strained, and he could feel tears forming at the corners of his eyes.  He gripped the cushion hard, fighting them back.

“What, that I had been pregnant before?  I thought it might make you . . .”

“No! Not that you were pregnant.  That your father was a monster.  That he murdered his own grandchild in . . .” He trailed off as he felt the tears begin to fall and lifted the back of his hand to wipe them away.  He heaved a shaky sigh. “I wish I hadn’t had to find out like this.”

He could feel Hux’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t look at him yet.

“I don’t know,” Hux began softly.  “This is not the sort of thing one just brings up casually.” He lifted himself up, swinging his legs down in front of the sofa and resting his elbows on his thighs.  He was looking down at the floor when he said,  “I suppose I was ashamed.”

Poe stared at him in disbelief.  “That’s nothing for you to be ashamed of.  It wasn’t your fault.  You didn’t make him a . . .” Poe felt more tears gather and fall.  “That evil was all his own. If _you_ want to feel ashamed of something, I have a few suggestions!”

Hux dropped his head between his shoulders and Poe felt his heart sink.  Why couldn’t he ever keep his mouth shut?

Sliding closer to him, Poe put an arm around his shoulder.  “I’m so sorry, Hux.  I didn’t mean . . . I don’t know why I said that.”

He kept his gaze on the floor but made no attempt to get away.  They sat in silence, Poe too afraid of what would come out if he opened his mouth.

“I think . . .” Hux began, still not looking at him.  “I think you’re afraid.”

Poe found himself staring again.  That was ironic.  Hux was possibly the most fearful person he had ever met.  Not that he didn’t have reasons, especially in light of what Poe knew now.

“Afraid of what?” he prompted gently.

“Of raising a child with me.”

Hux looked up at him with a grim smile, his green eyes as dry as they ever were.

“Knowing what my father was like, you have to be wondering what kind of father I’ll be.”

Poe tried to hold his gaze but failed.  He bit his lip as his eyes dropped to the floor.  There was no denying it.

Hux continued.  “I never felt anything for my father but fear and hatred, and then relief when Phasma killed him.  I never thought I would be in this position again, so I’ve never thought about how I would manage being a father.”

Poe held him tighter, laying his head on his lean shoulder.  “Are you thinking about it now?”

Hux laughed.  “Constantly.”

He reached for Poe’s cheek, wiping away the lingering wetness and making him jump with surprise.

“I’m sorry, love.  I shouldn’t have upset you.”

Poe sniffed, his eyes threatening to fill again. “You didn’t upset me.  I . . . I want you to tell me what you’re feeling.  Haven’t I been trying all these months to get you to do that?”

“And I applaud your efforts,” Hux teased, leaning his head against Poe’s.  “I know that hasn’t been easy for you.” Poe started to contradict, but a yawn silenced him.

“Come on,” Hux said as he pushed himself up, struggling to his feet.  “Let’s go to bed.  It’s late for you to be up.”

Surprise roused him.  “You’re coming with me?”

Hux nodded.  “Major Kalonia says that I should give myself more space to sleep in.  She also kindly reminded me that I won’t fit on the sofa for very much longer,” he added with some bitterness.

Poe smiled at that.  The doctor had always treated Hux just the same as any other pregnant person, but he still took any commentary from her on the changes in his body as a personal insult.  It amused her to no end.

Hux was asleep almost as soon as his head was on Poe’s shoulder, but Poe found that his sleepiness had vanished.  He lay staring at the ceiling long into the night, thinking about Brendol Hux and what he had done, and the effect that must still have on his son, perhaps in ways he didn’t even realize.  He wouldn’t be cruel to his own child; Poe was certain of that.  But how would his fear influence their child? And how was he going to counterbalance that fear?

* * *

“I think it’s a little girl!” Kalonia exclaimed.

Poe peered into the holo, his brows knit. He could more easily identify the fetus this time; it had grown significantly in the past two months.  But he still couldn’t see anything clearly. “Are you sure?”

“It’s impossible to be certain,” the doctor admitted.  “But I can tell you that I’m rarely wrong about these things.”

He heard a sigh of relief from the bed where Hux was lying on his back, his t-shirt pulled up to expose his round belly for the transducer.

“We’re almost finished, General. Just a few more seconds,” she said soothingly, mistaking the sound for a sign of impatience.  Poe smiled at that.  In a situation where he felt so exposed and uncomfortable, hearing his old title always had a calming effect on Hux.

“Have you thought about names?”

Her question was directed at Poe, but it was Hux who answered.

“Shara.  We’re going to name her Shara . . . if we do have a girl.” He looked up at Poe, his brow furrowed with concern.  “If that’s alright with you, of course.”

Poe smiled, tears gathering in his eyes again.  This time, he made no effort to stop them.  “That’s fine, babe.  She’d love that.”


End file.
